


a struggle well worth it

by freddie (ready_freddie)



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Apocalypse, Gen, diego hargreeves is gonna be the BEST father thanks, diego has a son ok, kind of a shitty gf, maybe trigger warning for child neglect, soft, uh his name is theo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 04:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17995238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ready_freddie/pseuds/freddie
Summary: For a while, Diego didn't hear from her at all. They had moved on, he thought, living his life as a vigilante. Life was fine.Until, one day, as he was leaving, he saw Ashley. With a baby in her arms.In which Diego becomes a father.





	a struggle well worth it

**Author's Note:**

> if y'all like this i would really appreciate comments and kudos , just so i know, because this could turn into a series ? maybe ?? idk hope you enjoy !

Diego still had whiplash.

He remembered it, still. Back when he was with Ashley. Their relationship was longer than most of his previous ones and he was proud, proud of himself for once for not fucking up. Everything was going great.

One night, they got drunk. Or, maybe Ashley got him drunk. Diego's not so sure about that part, but most of the night after was a blur. He remembers it being good, a happy time, though, and thats what's important. They had been together for a while, then. Almost a year. 

Soon after that night, they got into a huge argument. Ashley had started obsessively going through his stuff for weeks, and Diego had had enough. They ended it. 

For a while, almost another year, Diego didn't hear from her at all. They had moved on, he thought, living his life as a vigilante. Life was fine.

Until, one day, as he was leaving, he saw Ashley. With a baby in her arms. While Diego was prepared for small talk, she made a beeline for him. 

"Take him," She had said, thrusting the child into Diego's arms in a way that meant he had to hold it, lest it fell. "Its yours. Got a test done. Never want to see him again," 

"Ashley, wait-" Diego started, looking down at the child for a second, but she was already gone. Leaving Diego with his supposed offspring in his arms. 

That had happened only hours ago. Diego had rushed back inside his little house ( room? ) to try and get a little shelter, to think things through. A quick check showed the child was a boy, ( his son, possibly). There was nothing else. Just, this boy, wrapped in blankets, who had fallen asleep shortly after he brought him inside. He couldn't have been more than a handful of weeks old, but how could Diego tell? He's never dealt with children.

He had nothing to eat in the fridge, no friends to really turn to, but he had his family. And the big mansion.

It was windy, so he tried to keep them as warm as possible as he made it to the Academy, taking a taxi, as he had no idea how to drive with a child. 

Someone was always home, one or two of the siblings straggling most of the time, not to mention Pogo and Grace. 

While it took some maneuvering, Diego opened the door and walked inside, right as Grace was walking by.

"Diego, honey, I wasn't expecting you," Grace said cheerfully. Even if Diego made sure to visit, it wasn't an entirely common thing to see him around. Before he could reply, Grace noticed the bundle in his arms. "Is that a baby?" 

So here he was, sitting anxiously on the couch, as Grace quickly took care of the child. He wanted to think 'his son', but it didn't feel right. Pogo had told him that Grace could run a DNA test, just to make sure he was the father, and that eased his mind a lot, but it was still a too strange situation. No one else had seen him, yet, as Pogo told him that Klaus had just left for the evening, wanting to take Vanya out somewhere fun. 

Grace came back with a smile, holding the child and cooing at him happily. "Aren't you just a precious little guy?" 

Diego's head shot up, and Grace looked kindly at him. 

"He is your son, Diego. About eight weeks old, too. Perfectly healthy," She informed him, handing him the child again. Diego held him differently, maybe more carefully, knowing this. 

"Holy shit..." He whispered, just underneath his breath. How the hell did he become a father? It took the air out of his lungs.

Grace stood there for a moment. "I'm going to look for the baby supplies...he doesn't have a name, as far as I can tell. You should give him one, or try to figure it out," 

As she left, Diego decided to do just that. Propping his son on a pillow carefully, he went to the phone, to call Ashley, hoping she hadn't changed her number. 

She hadn't.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do about this?" He asked into the phone. 

He could hear the sound of someone opening a pop can. "His name is Theodore."

"That's not what I meant and you know it! I don't have legal custody -"

She laughed. It made his blood boil. "Oh, yeah, yeah. Just go to court. I'll show up, if it means I get your bastard off my hands,"

Diego wanted to get angrier, to yell at her and scream and tell her everything he thought about her, but his eyes wandered to the child sleeping on the couch, and he was worried that he'd wake Theodore. So he simply hissed, "Fine," into the phone, and hung up. 

He barely had the kid for a six hours, and he already felt like he was losing it. Diego didn't know what he was going to do. When Grace came back, arms laden with boxes of baby clothes and toys and maybe a highchair, Diego walked to her immediately.

"I don't know the first thing about having a k-kid, mom," He said, helping her put all the boxes down. "A kid can't live with me, it's no p-p-place for them there. I don't know what I'm going to do,"

Grace looked over at Theodore, then back at Diego. "You could always stay here. I'd help you, for as long as you need," She said, looking Diego in the eye. 

He let out a sigh of relief, before wrapping his arms around his mother in a hug. "I...thanks, mom," 

Grace let out a soft laugh as she hugged him back, kissing her sons forehead. "Of course, sweetie," There was a pause, before Grace pulled away and looked at him again. "You're going to be a wonderful father. Now, can you run down to the store and get some formula?" 

With a nod, and a weak grin, Diego did. He was slowly starting to get used to the idea of being a father. Maybe it would work out in the end.


End file.
